Something like fate
by LoveIsAlwaysLouder
Summary: " Well" he continued " I guess it's just fate" she smiled sadly at him " You know that fates never on our side". In a world of fancy parties and crystal glasses of champagne, there lives a world of dirty family secrets and teenagers in love AH Klaus/Claroline


The sun sat low in the sky as daylight drew to a close, and Nicklaus knew that he needed to get back, but he couldn't manage to pull himself away from his spot at the river side, to track back to the house and spend the evening in a stuff suit, smiling and nodding politely at all of his mother's friends. He hated when his parents threw these crazy parties, inviting every person on their social tier, including those they spend most of the year complaining about. There was only every one of these events he looked forward too, always held on the same day every year, since before he could remember, June 20th. It was the one day a year he knew that they would see each other. The one night that was theirs. But today was june 20th, and she wasn't coming.

So here he sat, the river flowing softy at his feet, and the woods around him alive with noise. If he closed his eyes he could almost forget what day it was, forget the ache in his chest, forget how angry his parents would be when he showed up halfway through their party, and sulked around for an hour before sneaking up to his bedroom.

His silence was broken by the sound of the breaking branches under heavy feet.

He glanced up to see his sister Rebekah stomping through the wood towards him, her hair twisted in into an elegant up knot, and looking completely put together besides the fact that she was still wearing a long velvet robe rather than the dress she had their mother had spent hours shopping in the city for.

"The guests are beginning to arrive." She stated huffing slightly as she came to a stop at the rivers edge looking down at the brother with distaste. He glanced up at her, before shaking his head slightly and returning his gaze to the river. Growing impatient, she nudged him with her heeled foot.

"Mother sent me to get you, I mean it nick, you need to be dressed, ready for dinner, and mingling within the hour."

He signed audibly before letting his head fall into his hands and then looking up at her exasperatedly.

" No offense, becs but I really just don't care. " she rolled her eyes before giving his side a slight kick.

" Would it make a difference to you, if I said that the staff had to set extra place settings this morning… three of them." A flash of something came across nicks face, before it fell again, and he glared up at his sister.

"That's a cheap blow becs." Leaning back on his palms and letting his head fall up towards the sky.

"I'm serious, mothers been grumbling about it all day, which you would know, if you'd spent more than I don't know five minutes in the house this morning." Klaus sprung to his feet immediately, his heart beating out of control. It couldn't be true. They couldn't be…. But what if they were?

He took off into the woods, leaving his disgruntled sister to shout after him, as he tore through the trees, the path merely a barrier in his quest back to the house. He finally reached the clearing of their perfectly manicured back yard, and after only a few more minutes of running, he had reached the back door to their kitchen. He slipped through the door, doing is best not to disturb the quick moving staff who were slaving away, preparing for the party. He ran up the back stair case, taking the steps two at a time, racing towards his room, trying to block out the noise of countless guests arriving, trying not to wonder if she was here yet, or how close she might be. He didn't have time to shower or shave, but he quickly splashed water on his face, before changing into the suit his mother had selected, trying and failing to tame his mess of curls, and quickly tying up his shiny leather shoes. By the time he had reached the top of the main stair case the party was in full swing, and the room below was full of people, yet he could still pick his mother's angry eyes out of the room. He knew he'd be getting an ear full tomorrow morning, but he didn't care. All they had was this one night, and he had already wasted 20 minutes of it. He escaped into the crowd, searching desperately. He snatched a flute of champagne off a nearby tray and downed to before anyone who would snitch to his mother could see him. He needed something, anything to calm him down.

Then, finally, he saw her. She was standing across the room, chatting lightly to and elderly couple, but he could see her eyes flitting around the room at certain intervals, and he knew in that moment, that she was looking for him too. Her hair hung in loose blonde curls around her shoulders, and her dark blue satin dress cling to her body until it reached her mid thighs, where it tapered out and flowed to her ankles. It had been exactly a year since he had seen her, but she had changed so much in such a short time. Her hair was longer and the bones of her face slightly more defined. She didn't seemed like a girl anymore, but just looking at her made his heart feel like he was seven years old again, like a child, with no worries or fears. He took advantage that she hadn't spotted him yet, and circled around the room so he could approach from behind. The moment the couple turned away, he took his opportunity, wrapping his arm around her waist, and pulling her backward, into a small alcove that was mostly obscured from the rest of the room.

He dropped his arm from around her waist, but caught both her hands in his own; they were standing close, their chests almost touching. When she spoke her breath was almost airy, as if he had caught her in the middle of a light run rather than conversation.

"For a moment there I didn't think you going to show" he could feel the goofy grin spreading across his face, but in that moment he didn't care.

"To be fair I didn't think you were coming at all. I thought you'd still be in America." She laughed, letting the smallest of smirks slip onto her face.

"Well would you rather I go back?" he brought there joined hands up between them, rubbing his thumb along the side of her hand.

"You know that isn't true." Her smirked turned into a real smile, as she continued to speak

"We were supposed to be in New York, but dad had a last minute business thing in London, he wanted mom and I to come, and well I didn't exactly put up a fight. I would have called but.." her words trailed off. He knew what she meant. They had made there deal years ago, when they had realized that what they felt for each other, and how impossible it was for them to be together. They had one night a year, when the party was in full swing and no one noticed that they had snuck off together. There were no questions, no talk of girl friends or boyfriends or life outside that one night. They agreed not to keep in contact that phone calls and letters and emails would make it too real, would hurt too much.

" Well" he continued

" I guess it's just fate" she smiled sadly at him

" You know that fates never on our side".

He was about to take a step closer, to destroy the distance between them and feel connected to her again, but at that moment a bell was rung and dinner was signaled. They reluctantly broke apart, making their exits separately.

Dinner seemed to take forever, Caroline and her family were seated at the far end of the table, near his parents, while he and his siblings had been shunted to the side with a few foreign friends who spoke very little English, and slurped their soup loudly. He kept shooting glances towards Caroline, and on multiple occasions he could see that Rebekah had caught him staring.

When the dinner finally ended and the guests disburse back out into the main room to dance, nik made his escape, climbing the back stairs that lead to the landing of the second floor, and to the balcony that looked over the room below. It was rarely used, or acknowledged making it the perfect meeting place.

She was already there when he arrived, looking over the railing at the party below. He placed his arms on either side of her, leaning his chin against her shoulder. She sighed happily, melting backwards into him. Music started below, and groups broke into couples for dancing. Nik pulled her backwards, and they swayed together to the strings that played below. After a few minutes, he pulled her closer, and his lips grazed the side of her neck, she sighed into him. Until finally their lips found each other.

The hours passed like water, each second slipping away unable to hold in their hands. Neither had any idea what time it was when they made their way onto the small patch of slanted roof outside of his bedroom, her head rested against his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. The party had long since broken up, but Caroline knew that her parents would have been far too drunk to even notice that Caroline hadn't left with them.

"Nik?" he glanced down at her.

"hmm." She bite her lip, as if trying to decide what to stay next.

" That business of my dad's that I mentioned in London, its not just a meeting, it's a take firm over. We're going to be here all summer, at the country house." His stomach flipped, the forbes rarely used country house was just on the other side of the woods, a quarter of a mile from his lawns to hers.

" Why didn't you tell me this before" she sat up slightly, taking his head off his shoulder and looking into his eyes

" Nik, I don't know what or who you have in your life, that's not how it works, I didn't want to pressure you, or make this into something that it isn't….Or ruin tonight"

"So why tell me now?" he asked taking her hand in his.

"Because," she said looking out over the lawns and at the shadow of the sun, attempting to rise through the trees

" it's officially tomorrow."


End file.
